The present invention relates to a contact lens disinfector unit with an improved temperature indicator.
Disinfector units of the prior art have generally controlled the application of electric current to the heating block with a thermocouple switch. The thermocouple, after detecting a predetermined temperature of the heating block, breaks the switch contact for terminating the application of the electric current. Wires in series with the switch is usually a lamp. The lamp lights up when the switch is closed and electric current is being applied to the heating block, and is turned off when the thermocouple opens the switch to terminate the application of the electric current to the heating block. Because of this arrangement, the user never knows when the contact lens case has cooled sufficiently to be safely removed from the disinfector unit. The user may therefore either attempt to remove the lens case too soon, resulting in possible injury, or wait an exceedingly long time after the lamp turns off to be assured that the lens case may be safely removed. As a result, such disinfectors are inconvenient to use and may result in injury to the user.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved contact lens disinfector unit which includes an arrangement for indicating when the contact lens case is hot and unsafe for removal, and conversely for indicating when the lens case has cooled sufficiently for safe removal.
In one embodiment the invention provides a contact lens disinfector unit for disinfecting contact lenses contained within a contact lens case. The disinfector unit includes a housing, heating means within the housing and arranged to heat the contact lens case and the contact lenses therein to a disinfecting temperature and for terminating the application of heat thereafter to allow the contact lenses to cool, and temperature indicating means for indicating first and second temperatures of the heating means. The temperature indicator includes a partially opaque viewing window formed in the housing, a movable member having a substantially planar surface which includes temperature indicia correponding to one of the heating means temperatures, and actuating means responsive to the temperature of the heating means for moving the movable member planar surface against the window for rendering the indicia viewable through the window responsive to the heating means being at a first temperature, and for displacing the movable member planar surface away from the window and for removing the indicia from view through the window responsive to the means being at a second temperature.